#I allowed myself a bit more Solas

[thedreadblog]

Tumblr is way better at filtering tags than tiktok. The latter seems intent on spoiling EVERYTHING.

[justanotherflemethstan]

after I let myself cool off a bit re: the whole past choices fiasco in Veilguard, I am only left with sadness at how existing fans were treated with this decision.

I might be in an absolute minority here but I honestly would've preferred if they did a complete reboot a-la Andromeda, with no recurring characters from the past save from Solas. That would've been a bit disappointing but more honest in terms of building up fan expectations. I'd rather have no Morrigan at all than the Schrödinger's Morrigan that might or might not have a son and doesn't know pretty fundamental things about herself.

But of course, EA and the studio have learned from Andromeda's reception and they want to have their cake and eat it too by simultaneously presenting this game as NOT a complete reboot while introducing only very superficial choices that don't really affect the world or reference your past playthroughs much.

In short, they don't want to fuck around and find out how many existing fans might not purchase the game if, like Andromeda, it doesn't offer much continuity with the last instalments in the series. So they sprinkled a little bit of very shallow continuity on top and called it a day. For that reason, I'd rather they be honest and have no continuity at all than... whatever this is supposed to be.

What saddens me here is that they've made a choice to use beloved characters like Varric or Morrigan to dangle in front of existing fans like a carrot, promising us the return to a familiar world and characters, when what we're getting are cardboard cutouts not allowed to reference past events that could've been defining their entire character arcs.

[xnova239x]

Thoughts on the final few Emmrich romance scenes below. T’is quite long, sorry.

Now, I am not one that likes the idea of going to bed angry or upset with your partner. But, in terms of this game, and the events within it, particularly at this section? I understand why.

This game is themed on Regret.

If you take Emmrich with you during the run to Ghilan’nain, he makes an attempt to apologise for the argument. But both he and Rook know that this is not exactly a good time to have that conversation. She promises to speak with him back at the Lighthouse. He accepts that choice.

I don’t know about how your games played out. But, my game did something beautiful and had no romantic combat dialogue trigger after the argument and up until this apology attempt. Which would be understandable for a couple who has just had a pretty big disagreement. They’re angry with one another and hurting.

It was only after Ghilan’nain had trapped him and my Rook released him, that it triggered again. After the “Emmrich! You’re okay!” “Thanks to you, dearest!”

(Listen to the utter relief in Rook’s voice here, btw)

And then Solas springs his trap card.

And Rook is lost in the Fade.

If I remember correctly in my hazy aftermath of those final missions, it’s implied that Rook was lost for several days. Enough time for the team to create the fake lyrium dagger. I don’t know about you… but I see Emmrich hyper-focusing on this work to try and stop himself from losing his absolute shit in fear.

He agreed to join this group in hopes of seeing and studying ancient magics and beings.

And here’s this pretty, young thing. Wild and free - bringing a little bit of chaos into his well-ordered world.

He finds the love of his life. His soulmate. The flame of his heart. The most magnificent thing that has ever happened to him.

And now he’s lost her.

Her promise of speaking to him later, of them fixing everything after their fight… disappears with her. And his regret of not saying anything… of not just apologising when he had the chance… eats at him.

He feared he lost her forever to the Fade.

But then, by Rook’s own reflection and sheer tenacity, she escapes the prison. Something Solas couldn’t even do without preparing a replacement.

He has her back.

But… Solas cursed her. He needs to make sure the Wolf’s magic is gone. So, he organises a trip to the Necropolis to use its enchantments to ensure she is safe. She is whole. And, there is no trace. She escaped clean and of her own mind. She was able to self-reflect and escape the Prison of Regrets. A prison for Gods.

She is the most remarkable person he has ever known.

The love scene. He finally knows and accepts her love here. She clawed her way out of hell for them… for him. He no longer doubts her love, her affection… that she wants him just as much as he does her.

He allows her to pull him up… pull him to her. Initiate intimacy. Allows her to lead. Another way of showing him that, yes… she wants this.

(And, of course, they would fuck in a coffin. Something gloriously gothic about that.)

Afterward, is wonderfully domestic. New lovers waking, asking if the other would like breakfast. Perfectly happy in this new development. Reassuring each other that hey, this is it. They are truly together now. Everything they do… will be together.

I love you, my darling Rook

No man alive is more fortunate than I

Speak the word, Rook, and I shall stand by your side

They will face the fury of a god-like tyrant, knowing that they will always have each other’s back. He will never leave her side.

He is hers, and she is his… forevermore.

I have loved… truly and honestly loved… this romance. I fear I have spoiled myself. Something about this couple has ticked every single box on my ‘shipper list and has its spiritual claws dug deep into my heart. I honestly don’t think I can even attempt romancing someone else on another playthrough. At least, not for a while.

So I want to say a huge thank you to Sylvia Feketekuty. What a brilliant mind, to create such a wonderful character and romance. Emmrich has to be one of my most favourite Dragon Age characters ever. This romance is one of my most favourite BioWare romances ever. I have adored every second with them… went through every emotion with them. It has been a beautiful experience.

Intimate and Sensual. Perfect description. 10/10.

[crownbeed]

Spoiler Free Veilguard Critique

Includes negatives and positives

I think my biggest issues are that the person u play as is not allowed to have any personality or opinions and if u do manage to say something ur companions don't like they don't...confront u about it. in other DA games if u pissed off a companion enough they would leave or you could kick them out.

>you don't get to choose ur companions in this game and other than flirting ur relationships aren't really...relevant to anyone else or to their stories.

>I've only played it once so far, but I dont remember there being much fallout from my decisions other than which city I choose and the final battle.

Honestly I feel like they should have replaced Rook with the Inquisitor - it would have made more sense and been more interesting. But its my understanding that the developers wanted to make the game accessible to new players...which is great. but there is already so many small references to the inquisition that is summarized for new players anyway so just...do it (I genuinely look forward to the fanfiction that make this happen)

other grievances i had:

>World building was inconsistent with previous games and there was absolutely no attempt to address it. sure we had mage wars, and race wars as a focus of previous games but its nbd in northern thedas? ok then.

>if a companion wants to speak to me at a specific location plz for the love of God don't make me have to go to them at the lighthouse to find out they want to speak and then make me go to a different country to speak to them. jfc dude.

>Everything was so specifically paced it got boring at times and I felt like I had no control over anything. they lock off areas you might want to explore unless u have a quest there and sometimes u can only go there during the quest. I may have hated the hinterlands but I enjoyed that I could find myself fighting for my life in bear country when my inquistor wasn't ready for it. Or stumble across a dragon 10 levels above me. God forbid u go anywhere in this game without permission.

>The most meaningful and rpg-style change my character could make was to their appearance. And they don't even have a bed.

on a positive note:

>Solas is still a fascinating character and he is delved into a fair bit in this game. i love that stupid bastard, he's such an idiotic asshole. Also he looks badass imo. A little mangy tho, iykyk.

>Some people found it wasn't very dark? I found it to be very very dark. maybe the fact that the Lighthouse was very unaffected by most things outside of the fade misled ppl? the horrors are many. the blight pustules are disgusting. Idk man I felt the dark fantasy of the whole thing and think it holds up to other games. (although admittedly its effect on characters could have been explored a bit more but I think that's typical of DA games lbr)

>I like the companions, I like the glimpses we get of their relationships with each other. I like the character annotated codex pages. Idk I think they're neat.

>I only played the once and I did it on easy but the skill tree seems pretty cool and expansive? I didnt get to explore it much as my brain can only handle figuring out so much at once. there's a lot of options.

>its goddamned beautiful. all the scenery is top notch. I wish I had a high end gaming pc so I could get the pinnacle of its beauty. but alas I am but a wee ps5 owner.

[bunabi]

Sorry I just was thinking about the other anon’s thing about Solas’s regret and the theme of Veilguard.

I think that we should keep questioning how the companions fit! I think we should keep questioning if solas was put on center stage! Because when they keep telling us this is Rook’s story, and this is about Rook… We should be allowed to raise concerns. Like… What do the companions regret? What do our new friends and allies regret? How will we see their struggles come into play or are we second fiddling for a storyline that needs tying up??

They preach about the game’s theme being regret, but how much of it is Rook’s? We won’t know until the game is finally out but with what we know… Feels like a bit of a fan service.

Did they say the overarching theme of Veilguard is regret? I've only seen the comments on Solas.

It's one of those things we just have to reserve judgment on until we see the game played to completion; most of the first act has been spoiled but theres two more we haven't seen yet

But from what we've been shown yeah I think his regret will be the focus too. The Lighthouse being our party hub kinda makes that undeniable. The place is drenched in his past. His murals, his furniture, his eluvian, his caretaker spirit butler dude. The Veilguardians are even doing watch parties on the couch with his memories.

I find it hard to believe Rook will be just as central as the character our gameplay literally revolves around, but we'll see. They renamed DA4 from Dreadwolf to Veilguard, so I'm hopeful they made room in the limelight for everyone else. As a Solas enjoyer myself...I did not get into DA to hear about one guy's mostly self-inflicted problems. 🫠

[broodwolf221]

Happy Friday! How about "confessing a time they caused harm" from your heavy content prompts for Varric/Solas 👀

mmmm this was a good one. i almost always write angst for these two but like akfljkfj i promise they have happy days too!!! ...just not this one @dadrunkwriting 424 words cws: death mention; war mention

“You're awful far away.” Varric's voice startled him, flinching before he sighed and rubbed at his face.

“Apologies,” he said quickly. Varric huffed.

“Less mad and more worried, Chuckles. What's eating you?”

“What isn't?” He said bitterly, then sighed. “I… apologies. Again.”

The silence grew. And grew.

“I've done so much wrong,” he said at last. Varric sat beside him on the couch, their arms just brushing. “So much.” He blinked quickly as he felt the sting of tears, a rush of humiliation and anger coursing through him. “And now look at me!” He hissed. “Always the one who makes it out, and selfish enough to feel bad for myself!”

“Hey,” Varric began, putting a hand on his back, “that's just how it is. The ones who make it out… they feel it. They suffer.”

“I deserve to suffer,” he bit out, his fury building—how utterly, wretchedly pathetic he was. He'd hurt so many people and he felt like he'd break under the weight of that guilt and grief.

And if he did, if he gave it all up, if he let himself be coerced into inaction like Varric wanted, every drop of blood on his hands would be for naught. How could he render so much suffering immaterial, just to live a life of personal comfort? 

“I took the Anchor and Feydis' arm failed without it,” he said sharply. “I let Corypheus access my orb, and with it he tore open the skies and killed countless people. The Conclave might have stopped the war—instead, the Breach rushed it. I started a war in Arlathan. I have led so many people to their deaths or to a life of suffering. How can I possibly allow myself to stay here, happy and comfortable with you? I should be out there now, fixing what I destroyed, making their willing and unwilling sacrifices mean something.”

“They're dead, Solas,” Varric said, voice even and strong. “Destroying yourself won't bring them back. And continuing the fight won't, either.”

“So, what, I should give it all up?” He laughed, sharp and without mirth. “Live in comfort with so much blood on my hands?” Varric’s sigh brought him back to the moment and he leaned heavily against the back of the couch, closing his eyes. “Fenhedis. I am sorry. This is not your burden to carry.”

“Is it still yours?”

“It will always be mine, Varric,” he said softly and the dwarf sighed once more, but did not argue. For what was there to say?

The burden would always be his. 

[thedinanshiral]

Exciting times

As we enter the last leg of this race, please beware of the SPOILERPOCALYPSE.

The reason i'm not here much lately is precisely because of spoilers. I think marketing has done more than they should have, i don't need to see more of the game, i just want to play it. Now just checking my socials puts me at risk of getting major spoilers i'm trying so hard to avoid at all costs.

Yesterday the embargo on the preview event was lifted and all the people who was fortunate to be invited have been sharing their reviews, impresions and recorded gameplay. Unfortunately for those of us who wish to experience the game ourselves instead of having the first Act spoiled, not everyone uses spoiler warnings, hashtags or keywords one can mute or block while this lasts. Personally i'm mostly on twitter and there i muted +130 words for 30 days only to have a spoiler about Rook's origins in one of the factions still slip through.

I've been checking on YouTube carefully like it's a minefield -because it really is- for some of these content creators' videos, for the most part just to listen and what i've gathered so far is they were allowed about 7 hours of play, including the character creator and 5 selected missions from Act I, but there's a couple of late Act I missions they weren't allowed to record or talk much about, and they weren't allowed to show some menus, namely the accesibility menu as it seems there's official marketing coming up centered on that.

The big and main positive i can take from these recent developments is that there's a new consensus: Dragon Age The Veilguard looks good. Long gone are the days of first trailer bad impressions and Fortnite accusations, now that some people finally got to experience the game themselves the reviews are mostly positive, excited, and i've seen some content creators change their minds about the game entirely. Bioware took notes all these years and are ready to deliver an unexpectedly very polished game as a result. People at the event were told the game has 3 Acts and i've heard this from several people, if the rest of the game keeps up the rhythm from what they saw of Act I, then Bioware is back. GOTY contender. IMO BW was never "gone", they were just slowly cooking this upcoming full meal

Sure, combat may not be for everyone, a more linear experience may not be for everyone. But personal preferences aside all seems to indicate The Veilguard will deliver as promised.

Spoilers are unavoidable sometimes so i've actualy looked for some, namely the Character Creator, the different factions origin stories, the different surnames. I had to go out of my way to see these things tho, intentionally spoiling myself these details because I have as of now 12 different Rooks planned and i needed to know if the stories i made for them would conflict or not with what the game will offer. Only one origin has a detail that might restrict things a bit.

There's apparently also a scene from a mission i'm not sure they were allowed to show, i skipped through a video about it without really looking and just now saw something from it on my dashboard but i scrolled down as fast as i could because it's something i really want to see in game first. It's such a big thing, it shouldn't have been showned or leaked at all. All i'll say is it's about Solas, and something many of us wanted to see for a long time.

All this said, while we wait for October 31st to come quick we still have the podcast Vows&Vengeance each Thursday. I might write on it soon. This podcast is safe from spoilers, it's set pre-Veilguard and introduces the companions one per episode, and the original characters are apparently a V&V exclusive and won't show in game. I think this podcast series is currently the only safe marketing material available until release. Meanwhile the IGN coverage continues, full of minor spoilers sprinkled all over so i'm also avoiding all of it.

We're now 41 days away from an event we've been waiting for 10 years! The waiting has never been harder.

[soundlesslament]

Since no one answered my questions about "Dragon Age: The Veilguard", I ended up caving and buying the game, and here are my findings. Plus my Rook, because he is very cute.

Spoiler-free!

THE GOOD

The game is nowhere near as linear as some reviews made it seem! You can still explore large areas, finding secrets and picking up quests, and do said quests in whatever order you choose.

The Codex remains and is great.

The game looks beautiful, even at low resolution. I love the illustrated narrated scenes. The look of the 'hub world' is customizable and cozy too.

If party banter gets interrupted (e.g., by an enemy encounter), the characters will pick it back up later.

You can set an 'appearance' outfit to override the look of whatever armor you actually have installed. No more choosing between appearance and stats. All armors can also be upgraded.

You can pet cats and dogs, and even hug a baby gryphon. I have had Assam for one day and if anything ever happened to him I would kill everyone in Tevinter and then myself.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

There are many difficulty settings, including a "storyteller" mode for players who are more interested in the story aspects that allows you to disable death for your character. No need to stress about boss fights.

THE MAYBE

In general, I love the new combat system. I am not a fan of strategic combat, and this feels much more dynamic and fun. That said, they also made it way too complex. Besides short and long-distance attacks and skills, there are special effects using different key combos, using runes, setting up combo attacks between (otherwise independent) party members, and changing weapon types.

They did not override most decisions from previous games. Everything is simply not mentioned. The only exception is when you ask about the companions from "Inquisition", as it assumes all companions were hired, which wasn't obligatory to do. Also, for some reason, Vivienne is not mentioned at all.

Regarding discourse around the game: People are apparently complaining about the game being 'woke', but honestly the only thing I have noticed is that you can have your character be transgender. And maybe Taash struggling with her mother complaining she isn’t feminine enough (is that woke now?). That's about it. There is no 'woke ideology' in the game. I don't know who is making that up.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

THE BAD

The character creator is bad. You have to choose three different premade faces and morph between them instead of working with each separate feature (which you can only adjust a little). I couldn't recreate my Inquisitor properly because it was impossible to alter the eye shape to what I wanted.

I also couldn't give her the scars and tattoo she had. In fact, the scar and tattoo options aren't the best. Some scars look a bit cartoony. There are no small tattoos.

More bad writing: it makes no sense to sideline the quest to stop Solas and have the two evanuris be the villains instead. I think they are interesting, but this development is not the best.

Bad writing. Not all the time, but enough times to be noticeable. Emmrich talks like a cartoon character in his introductory mission, for example; fortunately, it seems to be toned down later.

Bellara has it the worst of all, though. She is the bubbly, ditsy maniac pixie girl that I am sure is some tech boy's dream. The 'cutesy' way she talks and squeaks honestly makes me uncomfortable. I have been actively avoiding having her in the party.

Choosing a faction doesn't really have that big of an influence on the game. Your faction will grow its influence faster and there will be a few lines acknowledging your history with them, but that seems to be about it. There are no special missions, nor a separate start like in "Origins". It feels a bit like an afterthought.

Despite having dialogue choices with different 'personalities', Rook always agrees with everything. The different lines all end up being the same basic response, just in different words/tones.

You can't talk to companions unless there is an event involving them. It's immersion breaking. Seriously, they couldn't have a couple lines on repeat?

[daitranscripts]

What Pride had Wrought Pt. 14

The Well of Sorrows

What Pride had Wrought Masterpost First: Speaking With Morrigan First: Meeting Kieran Previous: Abelas

Morrigan and the PC look over the Well of Sorrows and at the eluvian on the other side.

Morrigan: You’ll note the intact eluvian. I was correct on that count, at least.

PC: Is it still a threat? Can Corypheus use it to travel the Fade?

Morrigan: You recall when I took you through my eluvian, I said each required a key? The Well is the key. Take its power, and Mythal’s last eluvian will be no more use to Corypheus than glass. I did not expect the Well to feel so… hungry.

Dialogue options:

General: Be careful. [1]

General: That’s not good. [2]

General: Back away. Now. [3]

1 - General: Be careful. PC: Let’s not be reckless. I don’t want anyone hurt.

2 - General: That’s not good. PC: Seems like that should be a concern. Morrigan: Knowledge begets a hunger for more.

3 - General: Back away. Now. PC: Don’t go any closer, Morrigan.

Morrigan: I am willing to pay the price the Well demands. I am also the best suited to use its knowledge in your service.

Party Comments:

Solas: Or more likely, to your own ends. Morrigan: What would you know of my “ends,” elf? Solas: You are a glutton drooling at the sight of a feast. You cannot be trusted. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Vivienne: Do not trust her, Inquisitor. She’s a parasite, only here because she sensed a meal more hearty than you. Morrigan: Hm. Said by one whose only motive for joining the Inquisition was altruism. Vivienne: Is is altruism or sense not to plunge headfirst into a power you don’t remotely understand? Morrigan: Why should I be refused, when the reasons to allow it are sound? ㅤㅤ ㅤ

Cassandra: I do not like this. She is far too eager. Morrigan: I do not hide it. To restore lost knowledge, I would risk much. Cassandra: And what would you do with it? You could be worse than Corypheus. Morrigan: So paralyze yourself for fear of what might be? I can give nothing but my word.

Morrigan: Of those present, I alone have the training to make use of this. Let me drink, Inquisitor.

4 - Dialogue options

Investigate: You alone have the training? [5]

Investigate: What about the price? [6]

General: You really want this? [7]

General: Perhaps nobody should use it. [8] +Sera approves

General: How can I trust you? [9]

5- Investigate: You alone have the training? PC (Dalish): “You alone”? This is my heritage! PC (non-Dalish mage): “You alone”? You’re not the only mage here. PC (non-Dalish, non-mage): What “training” makes you so qualified? Morrigan: I have studied the oldest lore. I have delved into mysteries of which you could only dream! Can you honestly tell me there is anyone better suited?

10 - Dialogue options:

General: Solas? [11]

General: Vivienne? [12]

General: Dorian? [13]

General: Myself./Then it’s me. [14]

General: I don’t know. [15]

General (after suggesting another companion): Maybe Morrigan is right. [16]

11 - General: Solas? PC: What about you, Solas? Solas: No. Do not ask me again. [back to 10] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 12 - General: Vivienne? PC: What about you, Vivienne? Vivienne: If anyone, it should be you. The mark on your hand may protect you. [back to 10] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 13 - General: Dorian? PC: What about you, Dorian? Dorian: A human from Tevinter scoops up the last bits of elven knowledge? I know why you ask. I know it’s important, but… I can’t be that man. [back to 10] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 14 - General: Myself./Then it’s me. PC: I would be. Morrigan: You lead the Inquisition. This is not a risk you can take. I have the best chance of making use of the Well… for everyone. Let me drink. [back to 4] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 15 - General: I don’t know. PC: I don’t know who’s “better suited,” and neither do you. Morrigan: I have the best chance of making use of the Well… for everyone. Let me drink. [back to 4] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 16 - General: Maybe Morrigan is right. PC: Perhaps you’re right. Morrigan: I am. You know I am. [back to 4]

6 - Investigate: What about the price? PC: You’re not concerned about the price? “Bound forever to the will of Mythal”? Morrigan: Bound to the will of a dead god? It seems an empty warning. Perhaps a compulsion yet remains. Who can say otherwise? I do not fear it, even so. [back to 4]

7 - General: You really want this? PC: Are you sure you want this, Morrigan? We don’t know what will happen. Morrigan: We do not, and yet it must be done. I am ready.

8 - General: Perhaps nobody should use it. PC: I hate to say it, but Abelas’s plan to destroy the Well may be the best one. Morrigan: What happens when Corypheus comes for you again? He is immortal. The wisdom of the Well may include a way to destroy him. Give me this, and I fight at your side. I shall be your sword.

9 - General: How can I trust you? PC: What’s to stop you from taking the knowledge and leaving? Morrigan: My word. If that seems insufficient, Corypheus threatens all–even myself. He must be stopped. PC: And who stops you? Morrigan: I, Inquisitor, seek neither immortality nor your life.

17 - Scene continues.

18 - Dialogue options:

What does everyone else think? [19]

Arcane: I know the Well’s danger. [20]

Morrigan, the Well is yours. (Morrigan will gain the power of the Well.) [21] -Vivienne Greatly Disapproves -Cassandra Disapproves -Iron Bull Disapproves +Blackwall Approves (romanced) +Solas Approves +Sera Approves

I’ll use the Well myself. (The Inquisitor will gain the power of the Well.) [22] -Sera Greatly Disapproves -Solas Disapproves -Dorian Disapproves (romanced) -Dorian Slightly Disapproves +Blackwall Approves (not romanced) +Iron Bull Approves +Cassandra Approves +Vivienne Greatly Approves

19 - General: What does everyone else think? PC: Thoughts?

Party Comments:

Solas: She is right about only one thing: we should take the power which lies in that well.

Vivienne: I would not trust the power in that well with anyone but you, my dear.

Dorian: It all seems ghoulish. Let Morrigan use it, if she wants it so much.

Dorian(romanced): I don’t want to risk losing you to a well.

Varric: You’re asking me? This is a lot of… weird. I barely understand how any of this works.

Cole: So many voices. They would be in your head, talking over you. You don’t want them.

Sera: It’s called the Well of Sorrows. Sorrows. No one should go in the Well of Sorrows.

Cassandra: If it is truly between you and her… then let her take the risk. Maker help us all.

Cassandra (romanced): I… do not know. If there is risk to you…

Iron Bull: Any chance this Well could help us against Corypheus, I say you take it.

Blackwall: I’d trust you with this power more than her… but it is not for me to decide.

Blackwall (romanced): I won’t lose you. Let the witch use the Well.

Morrigan: Enough deliberation. Give me your decision. [back to 18]

20 - Arcane: I know the Well’s danger. PC: Looking at it, listening to it… that’s not just knowledge from the ancient elven priests. It’s their will. Morrigan: How would you know such a thing? PC: That’s what Abelas was telling us. The collective will of the priests puts anyone who drinks under a compulsion, a geas. Can’t you feel it? Morrigan: That… would match the legends, but it does not tell us what the geas entails. I would still use the Well, but you are right. We must be cautious. [back to 18]

21 - General: Morrigan, the Well is yours. PC: It’s yours.

Morrigan enters the Well and submerges herself in it. A wave rolls over the area, and the PC runs up to Morrigan laying unconscious in the empty basin.

PC: Morrigan? Are you all right?

Morrigan: Ellasin selah! Vissan… vissanalla…

Morrigan: I… I am intact. There is much to sift through… but now we can–

*Corypheus steps out of the temple and reaches out towards them., then begins to fly after them.

Corypheus: (Scream of rage.)

Morrigan: The eluvian!

PC: Through the mirror!

The eluvian activates, and the party rushes through, and a figure rises from the empty Well, following them. As it enters the eluvian, it deactivates and Corypheus runs into the glass. The party stumbles out of the mirror and into the storeroom back in Skyhold. Morrigan deactivates the eluvian once the PC comes through.

Morrigan: It is done.

Scene ends.

22 - General: I’ll use the Well myself. PC: If anyone is to use the Well, it will be me. Morrigan: So you will take what little knowledge you can understand, and let the rest go to waste?

Dialogue options:

General: We still need you. [23]

General: It won’t go to waste. [24]

General: The Inquisition needs this. [25]

23 - General: We still need you. PC: The Inquisition needs you. Corypheus still endangers us all. [26] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 24 - General: It won’t go to waste. PC: And who’s to say it will go to waste? Morrigan: I do. [26] ㅤㅤ ㅤ 25 - General: The Inquisition needs this. PC: This knowledge stays with the Inquisition. [26]

26 - Scene continues.

Morrigan (the PC did not warn about the Well’s geas): I am forever balked by those who believe they know better than I. Drink if you will, for the sake of us all. But steel your will to do it. Morrigan: (the PC warned about the Well’s geas) Perhaps it is better this way. Do as you will with the Well of Sorrows, Inquisitor. But be careful.

The PC wades into the Well. They lift some of the water to their lips and there is a burst of light.

PC: (Cry of pain.)

The PC looks around, standing in a void of darkness with a circling haze.

Voice: Garas quenathra?

PC: “Why am I here?” Corypheus… a magister wishes to rip the Veil open. I must learn how to stop him.

Voice: (Unintelligible whispers.)

Dialogue options:

General: Your aid is worth any price. PC: If you can help me vanquish Corypheus, take whatever price you wish. ㅤㅤ ㅤ

General: Is that a yes or a no? PC: I can’t understand what you’re–look! Will you help me or not? ㅤㅤ ㅤ

General: Answer me! PC: You will give me what I demand!

Voice: Vir mythal’enaste.

A sigil appears on the PC face, and everything goes dark.

Party comments:

Cassandra: Is it over? [Are they] coming around? I knew this would happen.

Cassandra (romanced): Maker, please. Don’t let it end this way.

Sera: Wake up from your good decision, stupid!

Sera (romanced): [Honey Tongue/Buckles/’Teetness/Shiny/Tadwinks/Inky]? If you’re dead, I’ll kill you!

Blackwall: I knew no good would come of this!

Blackwall (romanced): My lady? Oh, Maker, let her keep breathing…

Dorian: There! Our intrepid leader’s coming round.

Dorian (romanced): Festis bei umo canavarum. If you don’t come through this, I swear I’ll kill you.

Solas: There. Our Inquisitor’s waking up.

Solas (romanced): Inquisitor? Inquisitor!

Iron Bull (romanced): Hey, how’d that work out for you, kadan? You feeling good?

Varric: Breathing. That’s good! Let’s keep that up.

Vivienne: Inquisitor? Can you hear me?

The party approaches the PC as they they are jolted back into the Well, where they are laying in the empty basin. They stand, unsteady and waving away help.

Party comments:

Solas: How… do you feel?

Blackwall: How do you feel?

Dorian: Not dead! Well, that’s a relief. So… good? Bad? I’m dying to know.

Sera: So, you’ve got a head full of damp whatever. How’s that feel?

Iron Bull: That looked rough. How do you feel?

Cassandra: Inquisitor? How do you feel?

Vivienne: Warn us before you do that again, my dear. How do you feel?

Corypheus steps out of the temple and reaches out towards them., then begins to fly after them.

Corypheus: (Scream of rage.)

Morrigan: The eluvian!

PC: Through the mirror!

The eluvian activates, and the party rushes through, and a figure rises from the empty Well, following them. As it enters the eluvian, it deactivates and Corypheus runs into the glass. The party stumbles out of the mirror and into the storeroom back in Skyhold. Morrigan deactivates the eluvian once the PC comes through.

Morrigan: It is done.

Next: His Next Move - Morrigan Drank Next: His Next Move - Inquisitor Drank

[lordbhreanna]

I need to YELL about this because I am feeling not just the BG3 brainrot, but the Tav/Dream Visitor brainrot happening.

Some Act 2 spoilers and stuff about the DV's real identity. And a lot of fangirling and nonsensical squealing.

Let me preface this by saying that I did get spoiled about the DV's identity. I know he's a mindflayer, and The Emperor at that. I don't know anything else about why he's inside the Astral Prism, what his title entails, or how he got the dirt of Vlaakith or anything about his role in the story with the Absolute cult and such.

And me being me, that makes me ship them *EVEN MORE*. Seriously, the dynamic between them speaks to me in a way I can't describe yet, I find it so fascinating and I can't put into words why yet. Maybe it's the "he's in your head and visits you in dreams, and seems to have chosen you in a way", the phenomenal performance, the small bits of intimacy. But IDK, there are just a lot of checked boxes.

Also Larian letting you choose his appearance??? Galactic brain move!!! Brilliant, geniuses!! It works perfectly because it allows for you, the player, be swayed more easily because your DV directly caters to you and what you may find attractive/trusting.

One thing I find very compelling about the relationship is that the shadow of doubt is ever present, but he truly comes off as an honest ally that is trying to help you. It's probably gonna be something along the lines of Solas Dragonage, in that he's keeping a big secret from you and "lying" but not overtly, and whatever he's planned it's NOT GOOD and it involves a certain deal of treachery, but it does seem that he... cares? Genuinely? AM I FOOLING MYSELF?

But seriously, when you meet him in the Astral Plane he sounds so sad believing you have accepted Vlaakith's orders and are going to kill him 😩

Is this the face of a oniric presence in your brain that it's just manipulating you? (This might come back to me in the ass later on). It broke me a little.

I am so looking forward to more interactions. I know they are fewer than actual companions, because I have seen some fans asking Larian for more, and even though I have still a long way to finish my first playthrough, I hope they listen!!

Seriously, there is so much untapped potential here!!!

I am loving every minute of the Astarion romance, and I love him as a character, and how everything is unfolding, and he checks a LOT of boxes on what I like in a romance story/character development - but... I think I'm gonna be partially a mindflayer girl by the end of this game because I won't be strong enough not to smooch the Emperor, tentacles and all, when the option shows up.

The fact that he's monster romance material sparkled with a lot of interesting dynamic is just too appealing and I am weak. We're not given this chance that often.

Like!! He get on his KNEES TO HAND YOU THE SWORD SO YOU CAN KILL HIM!!!

I am also expecting this to be a minor ship in the fandom, which... I'll be honest, may drive me more to do fanart/fic when I finish the game. I hope so, at least, because I need that hyperfixation kick to get more creative.

[blind-alchemists]

“Anyway,” Varric says then, always the easy conversationalist, “I hear you two have been doing good by Adan and the infirmary.” “Din has done more than I have, but, yes,” he replies, resting his staff against his shoulder so he can pull his hands into the layers of warmth his cloak provides. “It’s a bit hard to imagine someone as prickly as him healing people,” the dwarf admits. “You, on the other hand? You’re the tragic hero type, Chuckles. You help and you bleed and then you lament it wasn’t enough.” “I don’t think of myself as either tragic nor a hero, Varric,” Solas says to him. He had, once, but that time has long passed and now the words turn his stomach in knots. The dwarf might know nothing about him, but he is a story-teller, and he sees the parts of him he had thought to have buried long ago. Solas has not been a hero since he burned Mythal off his face, has not been a hero even when he was her champion, has not been a hero even in the war against the Pillars of the Earth. And tragic — no, tragedy is something only heroes are allowed to have. Monsters like him, wolves with six eyes and slavering jaws and maws big enough to devour cities, do not get tragedy. They get a miserable death. “Most don’t, in my experience,” Varric replies and moves past the awkward moments in their conversation with the smooth experience of someone who has done this for decades. “That’s the charm of them: They don’t know they’re the tragic hero. And they do not become bad; they are tragic because they are so infallibly good that it pains you, because you know what makes them such outstanding people will lead to them to commit their biggest mistake and once they realize what they have done, they’re already in the middle of the tragedy.” Solas swallows. “What happens then?” Varric looks at him. “The play ends, Chuckles,” he says wearily. “Maybe the hero dies, or maybe he doesn’t, or maybe he’s left weeping before the curtain falls, or maybe he’s crumbled into a pile of nothing.” He pauses, watching him up close, and an uncomfortable feeling settles in his chest. “Tragic heroes do not live happily ever after.” “Of course,” he muses, more to himself than the dwarf before him. He recognizes himself in the story-tellers words, and they’ve rang a little too true, but he’s long past the point where he might be either tragic or a hero. He raised the Veil, and destroyed the world, and slept, and now that he has awoken after a thousand years of slumber, he will tear down the Veil and do what he could not do last time: He will rid the world of the Evanuris whose sole existence will eventually lead to its ruin. A hero might have found another way, but he is a hero no more: He is Fen’Harel, the dreaded wolf, the mad trickster, the monster, the villain, and if this is what it takes to save the world, then he has no issue paying the price.

[ell-vellan]

💭 right back atcha for El and the reveal about the evanuris - mythal, trespasser, all of it

(Does solas tell her about the vallaslin since she’s with bull?)

Haha, thanks for the ask :) I'm actually planning future oneshots about these events - and tbh, they're not yet set in chronological order as I haven't thought about it in that detail, but I'll tell you about my plans!

Honestly I feel like Solas telling Lavellan about the vallaslin shouldn't have been romance-locked, but maybe friendship locked. I can see him feeling a duty to tell a fellow elf he's come to respect the truth - I can imagine that it rankles him, seeing someone proudly wear what he views as slave markings day after day without knowing the truth. He's held it back for so long, and know his charade will soon have to end -- so he might as well leave with a parting gift to soften the betrayal. (El sure doesn't see it as a gift, though.)

So, yes! I want to write the aftermath of him pulling her aside to tell her, without the romantic aspect of that scene.

Cutting myself off at this point so I don't spam people who don't care about my long headcanons 😉

Honestly, when he offers to remove it, she's...so angry. And she rarely lets herself be truly angry. But she already feels cut off and alone from everything Dalish; she and Solas haven't always seen eye to eye; it's an insult that he thinks so little of a beloved culture that he'd take the last link to her clan and history away.

That part sort of overshadows the revelations about the gods; but she decides quite quickly that it doesn't matter if the gods were exactly what she was always taught. She already had a tenuous belief in the distant elven gods. What good were their gods, truly, if they'd never helped the elves escape slavery, massacre, or subjugation? They were more ideas and vehicles to teach morals to children than anything else. And the older she became, the less she believed they influenced her life in any meaningful way.

So, Solas' origin story of the Evanuris makes sense to her, but it also doesn't change much for El.

The lessons they taught still matter, even if they didn't come directly from gods. The culture that binds her people as one is still important. They made their own stories out of the ashes of old ones.

As to the Well of Sorrows, El can't in good conscience allow the wisdom of the ancient elves go to a human, or be lost forever, so she makes a sacrifice to drink from the well. And she does view it as sacrifice, but she's already sacrificed a lot to become Inquisitor, so what's one more? I'm not exactly sure how she feels beyond "resigned to her fate, and vaguely afraid she just made a terrible mistake." Dealing with the voices from the Well aren't great for her mental health for a while, either.

I want to write both Solas and Bull's reaction to this: the first is angry, maybe out of fear. Bull doesn't know much about this stuff and lets her make her own choice, but secretly worries what it will mean in the long term; there's already the Anchor to worry about - now even more weird magic he doesn't understand. He doesn't like unpredictable magic, not knowing what might happen. He doesn't know what to prepare himself for - but he hopes for the best. And he worries for her mental state, that she would take this risk; it feels like she's sinking deeper into her role and losing herself.

And Trespasser - seeing Solas with his true power as Fen'Harel is both terrifying and somehow makes her deeply, deeply sad. He's every bit the scary tales of her childhood come to life. Learning more about what he tried to do for his people reminds her of own doubts that she was following the right path as the Inquisitor, making the right choices, doing the right things to save the world. She can empathize with that, she can mourn what he tried to do and what was lost. But at the same time, can't stand idly by while he undoes all that she sacrificed to save. Or it all becomes meaningless. And she can't accept that she did all of this for nothing.

She feels not up to the task of stopping him from destroying the world - he's so much more powerful than he ever let on - but still duty-bound to try, until her last breath. After all, she'd befriended the Trickster, the thing she'd been warned about all her life. Her folly and thus, her responsibility.

[krystlind]

God's really making changes in my life, helping me overcome my flesh and live in the Spirit!

I never knew Obedience was such a key

and I must document this down

i am able to go through the day, even if I have the food thoughts... I didn't give in. I was able to have my blocks of time without needing the bits today.

i was just in flow, making my newsletter.. taking my time with it though! it wasn't fast, it was slow, and maybe that's okay

i was feeling anxious about the call with Erika, in the gym I heard: "I will tell you what to say." and "I brought her to you" and instructions "15 minutes before, make the plan." and I obediently turned down my flesh, not getting the snack at the gym, which would've taken away my grounding, planning time before Erika. to feel calm and prepared.

I watched Sasha Cohen's video again today, and it's almost like the words were spiritual. "the real Sasha Cohen" EVERY. SINGLE. WORD! I have chills. it's like God has been ministering to me for so much of my life with that video the whole time. and especially with: "all those coaches, and moving around the country.. it's a good thing she went back to her original coach. who knows her best." WOW! that's God to me.

While I was fasting on Monday, i heard "I call you by Name." and then that was the Chosen episode. and then that was the Sasha Cohen narrator line.

God is saying "I call you by name."

I want people to say "wow you are so fearless!" and me to say "I still have my fears, but they don't get to me, because my Fear is in God."

ED voice comes up and I'm starting to dis-identify it from me. I can hear it say "you want this next. you can get away with it because it's healthy." now I am identifying it, challenging it, "but why do we NEED it? are we really gonna be suffering without it?" and not snacking while I'm making it as if I need it in the moment, but making it a sacred dish and moment. and committing to that dish, letting myself enjoy the whole thing and really tuning into what is good and enough. and saying "this is good and enough, it lacks nothing." and then I turned down the blueberries which aren't bad but it was more of me ignoring the compulsion to need it, or else

I did my work today and I felt energized! -> let yourself experience what you're doing and let it be authentic.

What's clear to me

acknowledging the feelings, and choose to act otherwise (not having to make the feelings mean you have to act on it)

I can move slowly and let me experience something again. for example, today my newsletter. it was actually fun for me to put together, and I didn't rush it. I took my time with it. I allowed myself to enjoy doing it. -> lesson: give yourself permission to do things slowly and to enjoy the process more. see where you are rushing through it like a checkbox.

I like it when I feel like I'm talking to an inner circle. not everyone. lesson -> start communicating to your inner group now, not making content or message for the general masses.

I can't let my voice be taken away. my tone. the minute it becomes generic, we lose the people. the human-ness is what people need.

Also, all these signs are leading to cabin in the woods

my desktop background, then sola just pointed out the notebook (I forgot!) I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do in the woods, but I know I want to take like a 4-5 day retreat and let it be between me and God

Also, signs that God is leading me into CEO/1o1 structure level

Erika, "how can I help you?" just as easy as that! I'm so grateful God. and I feel like I spoke with Wisdom "here is our plan, we are finalizing the roadmap for the year, next week this date, I'll share that with you, it would be great to have you as eagle eyes, blindspot, someone who believes in our big vision but can be real"

I asked the right questions: "what role do you play for other startups/orgs" and "here's what my plan was, as we first discussed, I would get the crowdfund fulfillment, we would see how that rolled out and then revisit conversations around being an angel" and she followed up with what needed from me. again more assets which is so good! "GTM, event sponsorship, etc"

and then Sola is having me join her webinar as a Community Engineer and I can go over the P to P to P plan, it will force me to articulate and structur-ize this ... as I've been wanting to!

I really believe God is going to have me help people build IRL community systems, and I wll be fighting isolation, getting people off social media, basically start doing what I'm doing which is really weaning myself/brain off of it, using it like the tool it was meant to be

and not a substitute for real community and connection

need confirmation from God

articulation classes? speech?

idk why I keep getting inspirations around doing music again.. just not sure how

where do I go in Feb 22 who knows? i think honestly it might be the end of us.. and that's okay. i have a feeling we are gonna be good friends.

Some realizations I had tonight while brushing my teeth

why do I get anxious when my friends start to rise higher? I started to follow this trail down to it's root. so let's go there

because I actually feel they might leave me behind, they might forget about me, or not want to be friends with me again

is there evidence of this or them ever doing this? no

so this is actually clearly a reflection of how I feel about myself and worthiness to be their friend if they get higher in status

something about "status" with me then.. it's some kind of determinant

brings up my feelings (not sure where it started) but everyone in LLA/Filipino community, applauding *others* more, I'm not taken seriously, fear I'll fade away

"I'll show you all, everyone around me" in LL, Fil, and then I'm still owned by it. whatever you own ends up owning you.

"there's nothing more pressuring than unmet potential" Sasha Cohen. that's what I fear... God speak over me in this

like what do I do with these dreams? the potential? is it self delusion?

so clearly Status plays some big role here... like things trigger me bc it marks whether I am lowering or not

Status=getting places or not. but then there's people who don't care. they can glide. and they flow well with anyone in any class. everyone feels comfortable with them. Clem.

what if ... I am free of needing those status symbols. what if being free of the need for it, almost is what frees me upward, or downwards, sideways who knows... would it matter then?

and then I remembered reading in the Bible the other day, the lesson from Jesus about seating at the last seat. I have always known this story, not sure why it was being brought to my attention. but now I see

then from Jesus "choose the last seat" AH! that's scary.. aren't we supposed to self-promote in this world? I guess the point isn't to lay low, but not to chase the self-promotion-content game.

I actually think I'm more natural and averse at the non-self-promotion this whole time- when I see the trends, I don't wanna do them. I kinda like to be more stealthy. to stick to my community and what I do, and rise to more CEO status. CEOs are not chasing the fame... they are building a company, they are raising up leaders, they are doing the right things in private. like talking to Erika and building a "textbook"/structure for Sola's stuff :)

in the gym i realized

why are you putting them in a pedestal? just partner. go into it with honesty and preparation and clarity on your situation .. my learning? be clear on the ask

enter into his rest.. i had a visual of me externally interacting with the stakeholders, and then my inner world i'm resting like a child in jesus, safe, always secure

you did good though! you asked the right questions, you were authentic, you were clear

Again with Sasha Cohen!

"what a performer!" = oh... it's ok to be a performer!

"no longer afraid of making mistakes" = (in the gym I heard this next part) you are becoming one who is no longer scared of the mistakes, knowing that should they be made, you can overcome that, they won't define you

Overcoming being a perfectionist like her, but "you have to be perfect to stay in the game" so perfection in a way, is required but it's not me being perfect.. Christ is Perfect

I go to God because it's more FUN to partner with the Father :)

[lesbiancouplescounseling]

Lesbian Couples Therapist In Denver, CO

Hello! I’m Lynda Spann

WHY DID I CHOOSE TO OPEN A DENVER COUNSELING PRACTICE AND A WORLDWIDE RELATIONSHIP COACHING PROGRAM AS AN OPENLY LESBIAN THERAPIST?

I learned how to love in a way that freed me to be my true self. You can too! I explored and found deep connection (and community) through curiosity and quality self-reflection.

Through sometimes difficult and challenging exploration, I myself discovered the courage to speak my truth with my own partner and in my life, to move forward with authenticity and living out loud.

This allowed me and my partner Lisa to co-create a deeply connected love relationship that is a safe place from which I can explore myself as well as the big, alive world with complete curiosity and trust.

I have been called to explore and discover the path to deep, secure, love. And to be a “Guide on the Side” of lesbian couples that are stuck on their own love path — needing help exploring new directions and discovering the equipment and skills that will make their love journey epic.

Lesbian Couples Have Unique Struggles

Almost all couples have relationship struggles at one time or another. But when you’re a lesbian, bi, or queer woman in a relationship with another woman, it can feel extra lonely when your relationship isn’t going well. Immense loneliness. Like walking through the Sahara desert. Sola. Who can you talk to (and get solid help from) when you and your partner are arguing all the time? Or when you’re so disconnected that you aren’t spooning anymore before you fall asleep? Or when you’re on the brink of a break up because even though you love each other, you’re not in love anymore?

Not usually family. It can be way awkward and mighty risky to talk to your parents or siblings. And if you do talk to them, at the end of the conversation you’ll probably feel completely misunderstood. Plus there are those giant odds that they’ll never be happy with your partner again. And that just creates a whole new can of worms.

What about talking to friends? If you’re older than 19, I bet you’ve learned that talking to your friends about your relationship problems can go South, fast! You know how your lesbian and gay circle of friends is so tight-knit? Well…there’s a good side to that and a bad side. If you share too much about the things going wrong in your relationship, you’ll end up with a circle of drama, instead of a circle of friends. (Don’t ever say I didn’t warn you!)

You can speak your truth both inside and outside your relationship and still be safe and secure. You can become the happiest couple you know.”

A Lesbian Therapist might be just what your relationship needs

Maybe you and your partner tried working with a marriage therapist. One that proudly advertises that they work with all people. Including heterosexual and LGBTQ couples.

You can tell by their website and their profile on Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist that they are as straight as an arrow. They say they’re open-minded and accepting of all people. And they may be.

But that doesn’t mean they really “get” you. It can be exasperating to trust someone with your time, money, and relationship only to find that things don’t change.

If you’re just hanging onto your relationship by a thin strand of hope, I want you to know that I created the Lesbian Couples Institute for you.

For more than two decades, I had a very successful marriage therapy practice where the vast majority of the couples I worked with (about 95%) were straight.

Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed that work and I feel great about helping to save hundreds of marriages.

But…

I began to feel a bit out of alignment. I yearned for permission to be open, out, and completely myself. And I started to have a big, strong, passionate desire to help my peeps. To help my community (of women who love women) to have thriving intimate relationships.

Permission granted! By me, of course.

In early 2018 my partner, Lisa, and I decided move to Denver so that I could open a counseling and coaching center for lesbian couples. Within a few months of making that decision, the Lesbian Couples Institute (LCI) was born. I’m a very proud mama!

You don’t have to feel so alone. And uncertain about the future of your relationship any longer.

I (and all the counselors at LCI) have walked in your shoes. I don’t just think I understand you and your relationship because I read a book, or took a seminar on working with LGBTQ couples, or watched one Indy Lesbian flick. No.

I am “family.” I understand your life because I’ve lived it.

Don’t put yourself through the agony of going to a couples counselor that doesn’t get the U-haul joke, or that you’d be mortified to talk to about your sex life, or that thinks one of you is the “guy” in the relationship.

“You’re our last hope” is something I frequently hear from new lesbian couples. No matter whether you’re struggling with infidelity, the chill of disconnection, terrible communication, or constant conflict, I can help.

Life can be profoundly rich when you’re in a good relationship. I want to help you have that. I want to help you feel secure and happy, like “I found my person!”

My hope is that we rediscover you already have her right in front of you.

I’M READY TO HELP. JUST GIVE ME A CALL.

If you’ve got a thread of hope tugging at your heart, and you’re willing to be courageous enough to give your relationship one last shot, call me. Freedom and fun are just a phone call away. Call me now.

[avrorean]

She smiled a bit, but looked instead from him to smoothing the skirts of her battledress as she tucked in her legs, lithe and ladylike in position, to hide the twinge of guilt she felt at Solas’ words. The thought was contemplated quietly as he comfortably shifted the world around them, patient in his way and allowing her a set pace of her own. Something sought by the elves, something she’d been given. Truth be told, it made her a little sad. That connection, she thought distantly, does not belong to me. No matter the yearning of her own it may have inspired. 

But Nanna would not dwell upon it with an audience attending her, not when something more immediate yet needed to be settled. So with an exhale and a straightening of her posture, hands folded neatly in her lap, Nanna began her recollection with a slight hum that betrayed her unease. 

"It was during the earliest days of the Blight," she began carefully. "Only just after the fall of Ostagar. With some…helpful direction, we had set off to find the old allies of the Grey Wardens and thought to find one of the Dalish clans before they had all fled to the north.."

Though abridged where necessary, Nanna wove for her friend the tale of the two, woefully inexperienced Wardens traveling east to meet with clan Alhannon, with only a brief aside about their purpose for delving into these ruins to begin with, before settling on her point. 

"If you had ever crossed the plains of the Brecilian Forest in your travels, Solas, you know its magics are old and deep, near having a life of its own. So it would not be a wonder I was separated from my companions and lost myself in the pathways of the ruins at its heart.” She smiled briefly then, at the memory of a girl fresh from the Circle and completely lost in this new world, much less in the nuance of longheld vengeance. “Another attempt, I now believe in hindsight, by the forest to hinder our path. I had found myself in an old chamber, and tucked away inside was a... phylactery, of a kind. Something within had yet lived... and they had reached out to me.”

Nanna bit her lip then, and suddenly found herself thankful for the warmth of the fire he’d manifested. This was the part that made her uneasy.

"From what I have been able to discern, they had sealed themselves into this phylactery years ago as a means of protecting themselves from whatever had befallen Arlathan, and fully believed someone would come and release them." Her voice lowered a touch, the memory of their despair bubbling within her own chest. "But there must not have been anyone left."

Trapped within the Life Gem. Slept. Gone mad. And slept again. 

"So when they reached out to me, in such earnest desperation and alone for so long, could I have refused them?" It was only then that Nanna found the strength to look at him, violet eyes shining with steadfast emotion. "I released them; the phylactery destroyed in the ritual they had dictated to grant them a peace they'd sought. And I suppose what they thought as thanks…They bestowed me with their memories."

A faceless, destructive force. 

Solas bowed his head. He knew that all too well.

He would hear more, yet even as the past spoke through her he felt the clutch of threat to his carefully concealed past. If she saw that, the wrenching of all that once was, she may yet see him. Faceless he must remain, for his own plans, and for his own pride. He would not have her see what he was, or what he would become.

“Be careful of your memories,” he said, weaving half-truths into a cloak of protection. “The Fade is shaped by our own experiences and memories. There is truth, yes, but also what we project in our subconscious thought.”

Solas rested a hand over the one she has gripped on his arm, and gave a reassuring smile as the fit seemed to pass. “Well done,” he said softly. 

He conjured a wisp of fire, not thinking beyond instinct as he formed the ground around them into something more suitable for a campfire. The reformed branches lit with his spark of fire, emanating much needed heat. There was comfort in heat, and the smell of the flames, he hoped, would help to ground her further in this world, in this time.

“There is nothing to forgive, lethallan,” said Solas, resting a steadying hand on her knee. He sat back on his ankles, balanced as easily as the tip of a knife on a finger. “My people see the whispers of the Fade. Unknowingly, they yearn for something lost. And in the Fade lies memory, the truth or what they hope to see. Many have lost themselves along the paths of those seeming truths. It is the rare few that have the connection you do.”

Perhaps that was why he was drawn to her beyond most humans. Not just her connection to the Fade, but her connection to the People. One was not necessarily better than the other, but Elvhen blood was old and powerful. No amount of dilution could smother their innate nature.

It survived millennia. They survived. Despite all his attempts to delude himself otherwise.

He allowed her to collect herself, quieting the fire’s growth to a gentle crackle of flames. He was still all too weak, but he focused on the lingering reach of the artifact and willed it to a soft hum. He could maintain it for a time, as dull as their small fire.

There was a weight between them, a held breath before the unleash of a storm. He waited for her to take the first step. When she at last spoke, fully herself, Solas looked up at her.

“Yes,” he said, but without judgment. Secrets were no easy thing to keep, and disclosing them was infinitely more difficult. “It seems you do. Start at the beginning, and if you feel the pull of the Veil, step back, and focus only on who you are.”

[misculenica]

Solas' True Name thoughts

Okay, so.

From Tevinter Nights (specifically Genetivi Dies in the End); we know that the Antaam (Qunari) are looking for Solas' true name - because it would allow them to exploit Solas' weaknesses.

And a lot of people (including myself) thought this was a little bit of an anomaly from what we understand of the world of gods/spirits/people etc. It's just kind of weird.

There are 2 ways to look at this, from what I can see;

Knowing his 'true name', it may be possible to track down other iterations of Solas; his past actions/methods to predict his current/future plans.

Knowing his 'true name' will give them some literal power over him, like how we (irl) might understand the summoning/banishing of demons and the like.

Now.

1 sounds a lot more reasonable than 2, but hear me out.

In Origins, there are codex entries concerning things called 'The Black Vials'

Why is this important, you ask?

Every one of them involves a person being bound by using their 'true name' - and we know this was done because you have to kill the people who were bound (who became revenants).

True names and how they relate to binding individuals is not a new concept.

We know that people can be bound (by their true name).

So I'm just going to say, I am very very-veryveryvery- interested to see what comes of this.

My understanding of these entries is as follow;

these were people who were undead bodies possessed by desire or pride demons - that were then bound by phylacteries (vial of blood to track mages) and probably blood magic. These were entities that are considered 'boss level' enemies to fight - therefore, it makes sense that they were bound/sealed away where nobody could find them instead of killed (mmmm fascinating... wonder where we've heard this one before........)

The Antaam must then believe that 'Solas' and 'Fen'Harel' are new names for a person who once was, someone who's body was taken over by a desire or pride demon - and since Solas means pride - I don't blame them one bit for thinking that. Hell, a good chunk of the fandom theorizes that Solas is actually a pride demon (/spirit of wisdom) who took physical form. So; if they found out who the 'original body-owner' was, they could bind him 'for eternity' because realistically; the Qun 1. doesn't really stand a chance of killing him, and 2. they don't kill their mages, that cut out their tongues and bind them. It kind of fits.

Now, this could all be me with my late night tinfoil hat and corkboard mentality stretching the dots with my need for answers, but I very much like the prospect that we'll learn more about Solas, and what his 'true name' is. Knowing the Dread Wolf and his views on the idea of people being 'bound' especially 'bound for all of eternity'.

Please let this come up in DA:D, please.

Sorry for the long post and grammar/spelling errors.